Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1887-03-30
ROYAL BALLS In ROME.
Bright Robes, Gay Uniforms and mer
ry Music In the Palace of the Popes.

I'VE ubAc tine EdAACc Oh the FOVeS
From the Philadelphia Telegraph
The royal balls are of course a great fea-
tu-e of the season, and everybody who was
invited went. They are given in the Quiri-
nal. The old papal palace was evidently not
constructed with an idea of such thing as a
royal dance. When royalty, however, came
to make its home in the Qairinal adaptation
set its transforming wand to work, and there
is now large apartment. Here royalty re-
ceives its guests, and here many fair Amer
lean has had her first peep of queen in the
dance. The ballroom is one of suite of
many which stretch out interminably.
On the night of ball the old palace is
brilliant and beautiful. The large piazza in
front is ablaze with gas jets. Carriages
stretch from the court yard several blocks
down the street. For hours they keep surg
ing in. Soldiers with their arms at ffpre-
sent" keep guard at the big portals, con
stantly saluting the arriving guests. Hand
somely liveried servants are present to open
the doors of the carriages The ladies and
their escorts climb beautiful marble stair
way walled with flowers and brilliant with
lights. At the head of the stairs is long
vestlbu1e. Here score Or SO more OF ser
wants, and detachment of the Royal Guard
in their brilliant uniforms, greet the eye of
the arriver. In this vestibule the lady dis
poses of her wraps. She then passes through
a high doorway, guarded by two very statue
looking soldiers, into smaller compart-
ment. AS she enters she is handed a beauti-
full dance card, always something tasty and
unique, which serves for years as q souvenir
of the occasion. She passes through lane
of servants into a long, narrow hallway
filed with statuary, at the end of which is
| the ballroom. If she be early she finds a
place on the long row of seats ranged along
one of the walls. If she be late she finds at
the door an impenetrable barrier of mascu-
Unity. When it is crowded it is overerowd-
ed.
At the far end of the compartment she
sees the ladies of the diplomatic corps occu-
pying double row of seats. On the left,
and at the foot of the room, she finds sim
liar double row of seats, perfectly ablaze
with handsome women, brilliant dresses and
flashing jewels. Opposite her she observes
the Queens place on a slightly raised dais,
and on either side the seats for the ladies of
her majesty's suite. Massed behind the
seats along three sides of the room are the
men, solid unbridgeab1e phalanx, and at
the door of entrance such wedging togeth-
er of humanity in uniforms and evening
dress that mosquito couldn't bore his way
through. At one end of the room is a gal
lery over the heads of the brilliantly dressed
throng. This is the musicians stand and
the leader, his baton in hand, keeps his eye
on the closed doors at the far end of the sa-
Ion. Presently there is buzz. All the la
dies in the diplomatic parquet stand up. The
other ladies follow their example. The doors
are thrown open. The orchestra begins the
royal march. First enter the officers and Ia
dies of the household. Then there is cour-
tesying of the ladies nearest the door and
their majesties appear, the king and queen,
arm in arm, bowing right and left. The Ia
dies all around the room incline their heads
as her majesty walks across to the dais,
where she seats herself. Immediately upon
her being seated a gentleman of the court
gives the signal to the other ladies, who re-
sumo their places. The king strolls down
the room to where the ministers and senators
standing and engages in conversation
with them.
Her majesty and her toilet are the cyno-
sure of all eyes. She bears the ordeal un-
consciously. Scarcely minute elapses be
fore the set is formed for the royal quadrille.
The German ambassador, dean of the diplo-
matte corps, approaches the dais and leads
the queen to her place. The other ambassa-
dors select partners the wives of their col
leagues, and the set is formed usually about
twelve in all. The king does not dance. He
is in evening dress, just the same as every
body else except the italian officers. Even
the diplomats are without uniform. He con-
verses with different persons during the
quadrille. The queen, on the contrary, en-
ters with spirit into the dance and combines
easy grace with dignity. For anyone else
than queen it would be an embarrassing
position, with every eye in the great throng
upon her and her movements.
The dance over, the queen returns for a
moment only to the dais. Then she goes
over to the seats of the ambassadresses and
sits down for a chat. She goes from one to
another until she has spoken with every lady
IN the diplomatic corps. Meanwhile the gen
eral dancing is going on. Immediately upon
the conclusion of the royal quadrille the 9th
er large rooms are always thrown open, and
the drifting of tide of perso into these
apartments leaves less of a crush on the dan
cling floor. Each room is so different from
it's neighbor to be interesting of itself, and
on ball nights is particularly brilliant and
pretty with its parterres of flowers, its thou
sands of gas-jets and candelabra and it's
througs ofspretty women. In one of the
rooms at the end of the suite buffet is
spread all the evening.
Once begun the dancing goes on consinu-
ously until about three o'clock in the morn
ing. Their majesties lend their presence to
the fete until about one o'clock, when,
oompanied by their suite, they retire to the
royal supper room. Almost simultaneously
two other supper rooms are opened at differ
ent ends of the palace, one for ladies and
their cavaliers and the other for men unat-
tended by fair companions. In the mems
banqueting hall there chairs, only a
long table on which placed the good
things, behind which stand the red-liveried
lackeys, and in front of which is the dense
mass of pushing and scrambling guests. The
ladies' supper room is much prettier sight.
All over the wide expanse of floor are scat
tered very small tables, about which cluster
little groups of ladies and gentlemen, per-
feet army of the palace servants moving
here and there among them. The supper
is always very good, and the two Quirinal
balls are for variety of reasons considered
the chief events of every season.
HARTFORD, Conn, March 29-George Fl. Bacon,
Extradition Commissioner Marvin to-day. and at
the request of the prosecution the case was con-
tinued until April II that witnesses can be got
here from Canada Bail was refused.
The details of the Eugene Snow murder and sui
eide at Tolland on Sunday, as brought out In the
inquest are most revolving. The house is situated
two mules south of Tolland street and is the last
house in the town. The farm is fertile well man
aged one and well stocked. Snow was 81 years of
age large man, weighing 275 pounds short
time ago His wife is a large woman and about
his age He has been ailing and out of his head
at times since January. He has three chill
dren the oldest being girl of fourteen years.
Sunday morning he sent them all of at eleven
O'Clock to the neghbors and ordered them not to
return before O'Clock in the afternoon. The muir
der must have been committed about noon. His
wife sat in the sitting room with her back toward
the bedroom door, when he approached from that
room and crushed her skull with soapstone She
severed her head. Then he went to the woodshed
and hung himself. The tragedy was discovered by